Gripper The day after yesterday
by DaveDisco
Summary: Gripper and Denny have been expelled. The boys now take a twist in their lives. A run in with the police takes them to a place they don't like.


**Gripper!**

 **The day after yesterday**

Dave Golder

 _ **19**_ _ **th**_ _ **February 1983.**_

Children across the country are waking up knowing they do not need to go in to school. Saturday's were always great days for many children. Some would be meeting with friends at the local shopping centre, some the local park, some would stay in bed all day and others would be up early to do the homework they promised their parents they did the night before.

Saturday 19the February 1983 for Norman Stebson and Denny Rees however was the day after their expulsion from Grange Hill. Mrs McClusky certainly went to town and was close to calling the police until they both handed over the money they had taken that day.

"Norman. Get down here now." Gripper still in bed but not asleep, trying to figure out how to extort money from Grange Hill students. "What do you want mum?" Gripper replies. But his mum didn't reply back. Grippers mum was a clever lady. She knew how to get both her children downstairs. Instead she just potted around the kitchen and gave a smirk when she heard his footsteps walking down the stairs. "I said what do you want?" Gripper repeated. "Lose that tone or that tongue. Your father wants to see you. He knows about yesterday. Denny's parents are unimpressed."

"Oh! bloody hell. I am busy today. Call him back, tell him I am too busy."

"Busy? Why are you busy. When you were at school, you never did homework, so tell me Norman, why are you busy?"

"Look Laura. Tell dad I am busy."

"Laura, is it? I am your mother and you will go to see your dad. He is at home and is expecting you. Take Emma with you."

"Whatever. EMMA! HURRY UP." Gripper shouts up the stairs. He also begins to make a phone call. "Den? Will be late. Tell Gary I have had to see my dad. Apparently, your dad called him last night… Yeah well your dad better keep his nose out of our business…. Yeah well we shall see. Anyway, I'll be about ten minutes late." He hangs up the phone. "If you want to continue to use the phone, you are going to have to get a job. I am not having you sponge on me." Laura said.

"Yeah, yeah. I am underage. I cannot work. EMMMA! GET DOWN HERE NOW!"

"You can work part time at weekends. Get a paper round." Laura replied. Emma walks down the stairs wearing dungarees and a Spandau Ballet T shirt. "Gripper." She says and nods to him. "Do not use that vile name in this household. His name is Norman." Laura sternly states to Emma. Both Emma and Gripper tut at the same time and walk in to the living room. Laura follows them with her purse in her hand. She walks in and finds Gripper searching through her bag. "Looking for this?" she smugly asks. Emma laughs and Gripper just rolls his eyes. "We need bus money." He demands. "I know. But if my purse was still in the bag, you would have taken the full twenty pounds, whilst you only need five." She offers the money to which Emma jumps up and grabs the money. "Come on then Gri…Norman. Let's see our dad." Both children leave and make their way from Northam to Enfield Lock.

Chapter 2.

Emma and Gripper both alight from the 307 at Enfield Lock and make their way around the corner to their fathers' house. There is total silence between the two, in which Emma gets annoyed. "Norman, I can help you when I go to Grange Hill in a couple of years." Emma says' "No Emma." Gripper replies, he continues, "Also call me Gripper out of earshot of mum. She cannot control in what you say outside of the house alright?" Emma just nods and the silence returns.

Both siblings reach Uckfield Road and get to their fathers' house. Grippers knocks and walks straight in. There were no pleasantries as Gripper started to grumble "Oi! Why did you want to see me?" A response was slow in coming as coughing was coming from the living room. Gripper and Emma make their way through and Emma as comfortable as you like, plonks herself down on the sofa. The room is yellow in colour and if you visited the house just the once, you wouldn't know if the yellow was paint or from the smoke.

Derek Stebson sitting on a chair to himself, cigarette in one hand and his belly in the other. "Talk to your mum like that?" Derek asks, "Yes he does." Emma answers. She soon regretted it as Gripper turned with a fist and threatened her. "Oi! Hit your sister? Hit me instead. No? Sit down you fucking prick." Gripper does what his father has asked, though he is grinding his teeth. "Yes, I wanted to see you. Your mum was on the phone last night. Telling me about what happened yesterday. I didn't need this Norman. Why did you get yourself in that situation? And I do not want to hear 'They outsmarted me' because quite frankly you should know better. How many?"

"How many what?" Gripper replies

"Cloth heads, negro's, blackies, darkies. What else?"

"Dunno. I went to get money for some love letters I was going to print, but me and Denny got ambushed. People from our own colour letting us down dad." Gripper says.

"I know son. Anyway, I had Michael Rees on the phone yesterday and he has told me about a new national group based in Northam. I thought you and Denny would like to go? This is why I called you over." Derek proudly tells his son.

"Mum has grounded me for at least a month. But tell me about this group. I am supposed to be meeting Denny and Gary in an hour. I can tell them both about it." Gripper sighs

"No need. That Gary, he mates with a Saul McKinlay?" Derek asks

"Yeah. A Jock, but hates blacks as much as we all should do. He told me I should torch the school." Gripper proudly states.

"Well this Saul and Gary have started the People against non-whites in London. P.A.N.I.L for short" Derek explains. As they were continuing to talk a knock at the door stops the conversation dead in the tracks. The knock seemed to be forceful. Derek whistles to Emma and gets her to answer the door. Emma leaves the room and answers the door. "DAD!" Emma screams. Both Derek and Gripper jump up and make their way to the door. Standing in the door is two police officers. "Hello! Are you Derek and Norman Stebson?" Asks a bearded policeman.

"Depends who's asking pig." Gripper confidently states.

"Well Norman I am asking. I am PC Mike Wilson and this is Sergeant Atkins. Are you both Derek and Norman Stebson?"

"Well you have called me Norman and as that Emma is female, you bloody well know this is Derek. What do you oinks want?" Gripper starting to lose his temper.

"You need to keep calm son. You're in enough trouble as it is." Replies Sgt Atkins.

"Trouble? I've only been awake for about an hour or so. I have done nothing." Gripper pleading his innocence.

"Last night an attack took place which saw a West Indian man was stabbed just outside of St Joseph's school in Northam. The man has survived and has described an IC 1 male as his attacker." PC Wilson explains. Gripper squinting his eyes and then looking over at his dad, but before he can say anything Emma starts to talk. "Excuse me Pig. My brother was sent home from school early yesterday. He was then grounded by our mum and was home all night. He needs to either find another school or get a job." Gripper puts his hand over Emma's mouth before she can say anything else. "Why were you sent home early lad?" asks the Sgt.

Gripper removes his hand and in a less confident manner "Racism, Extortion, demanding money by menace." Gripper repeating what Mr Baxter had said in the boys' toilets no less than yesterday. "Racism?" Sgt Atkins repeats "I think you need to come with us." He continues. "Look, I know what I am, but Emma's right. I was home. Phone my mum she'll vouch for me." Gripper pleads.

"Norman. It was your mum that told us where to find you." PC Wilson claims.

"Wait what. Piss off." Gripper storms off and grabs the phone from the small table by the living room door. He starts to dial and then after a few rings he starts to shout "WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN TELLING THE FILTH? THE ATTCK WAS LAST NIGHT, NOT THIS MORNING. Look Piggy Wilson wants a word." Gripper hands over the phone to the PC. The Sgt then takes Gripper in to the kitchen. "Listen boy. Keep calling us names. Because I will arrest you. You may not have committed the stabbing, but I can get you for something else. Insulting a police officer for starter. So, go on what were you saying?" Gripper was utterly silent and looked as sheepish as he did yesterday when confronted by Mr Baxter. "Oh look. The racist is silent." The Sgt continues. But Gripper then spits on the floor of the kitchen. As it lands the PC walks through and confirms the Mother had thought the attack took place this morning and not last night.

Gripper smiling with spit still around his bottom lip and this is where Sgt Atkins decides to arrest Gripper for spitting at a police officer. Emma is crying and Derek is shouting profanities at the police officers. Gripper is placed in the back of the car that the police came in and then drives off. Emma and Derek look at each other and Derek decides to hug his daughter.


End file.
